Apparatus for postural treatment of humans

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for effecting postural treatment of a human by positioning the human in an inverted position at the hip joint on a platform which is pivotally mounted on a supporting structure.

United States Patent [1 1 Krause 51 Mar. 27, 1973 [54] APPARATUS FOR POSTURAL [56] References Cited TREATMENT OF HUMANS UNITED STATES PATENTS [76] Inventor: Frans En elbertus Krause, 75 Ste Street, Iennenman, RX: 3:23: 3111: IIIIIIII 5/327 public of South Africa I A, Primary Examiner-Lawrence W. Trapp 1 Sept- 1971 Attorney-Karl w. Flocks [21] Appl. No.: 178,334

- [57] ABSTRACT 52 0.5.01 ..128/68 I. appa'amsfm .effecting "9 of F [51] Im- CL n Aflflsloo human by positioning the human in an inverted posi- [58] Field of Search 128/68, 70 71; 272/55 60; tion at the hip joint on a platform which is pivotally 5/327 mounted on a supporting structure.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED MR2 71973 SHEET 2 OF 2 APPARATUS FOR POSTURAL TREATNIENT OF HUMANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to postural treatment of humans. The invention relates in particular to apparatus for effecting postural treatment of humans.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for effecting postural treatment of humans, the apparatus including a supporting structure and a platform pivotally mounted on the supporting structure for supporting a human in an inverted position at the hip joint.

The platform may be of substantially angular form to fit into the angle defined at the hip of a human whose torso is bent relative to his thighs. The platform may in one form be of L-shape, the angle including between the limbs of the platform being about 90.

A fulcrum may be provided on the supporting structure to pivotally support the platform. The platform may be mounted in trunnion fashion in or on the supporting structure. Conveniently, the position of the pivotal mounting of the platform on the supporting structure may be adjustable to permit humans of different lengths to be supported in equilibrium on the platform. The adjustability of the pivotal mounting may be obtained by providing a series of spaced pivots on the platform, e.g. in the form of projecting pins, or removable bolts and nuts and matching apertures to engage the fulcrum on the supporting structure. Different pins or apertures would be selected to compensate for the lengths of different humans.

If desired, the platform may be so arranged that when it is in use the center of gravity of a human on the platform is disposed at a higher level than the pivotal axis of the platform. On the average, the center of gravity of a human is located in the vicinity of the hip joint. It will be understood that in this arrangement, perfect equilibrium will only be achieved when the center of gravity of the human is positioned at a peak position directly above the pivotal axis of the platform, Le. a condition of unstable equilibrium will prevail whenever the center of gravity is not directly above the pivotal axis. Thus, when the center of gravity is below the peak position, effort will be required to pivot the platform to raise the center of gravity to the peak position. Likewise, when the center of gravity is disturbed from its peak position it will tend to fall freely to a lower position. The feature of this arrangement of the center of gravity and the platform is that a human on the platform would be able to feel whether or not he is in equilibrium and would thus be able to control the pivotal movement of the platform, e.g. by gripping the supporting structure and exerting arm action.

In order to prevent the platform from executing a dangerous manouevre such as overturning, a stop may be providedon the supporting structure against which the platform may abut. The position of the stop may be adjustable.

The supporting structure may be a stand which may have foot rests on which a person may position himself prior to leaning over into the platform.

If desired, a bracket may be provided fast with and extending from the platform to grip the legs of a user in the vicinity of the ankles to prevent the user from tipping over and falling of the platform.

The invention is now described by way of an example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of an apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in an unoperated position immediately prior to being operated;

FIG. 4 shows the apparatus of FIG. 3 when operated and when at the commencement of the operation;

FIG. 5 shows the apparatus of FIG. 3 in its normal operating position; and

FIG. 6 shows a front view of the apparatus in the position shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates the apparatus generally. The apparatus comprises a stand 12 having supporting bases 14. Foot rests 16 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 may be provided for supporting a human 18. At its top end the stand 12 has a pair of slots 19 forming a fulcrum 20 for pivotally supporting a platform 22.

The platform 22 is of L-shape and has a series of pivots in the form of spaced pins 24 to engage the fulcrum 20 in trunnion fashion. The platform can pivot about the fulcrum 20 so that its rounded corner 26 describes a circular are 28 (FIG. 3) about the fulcrum 20. Diflerent pins 24 are selected to engage the fulcrum 20 to compensate for the length of the human to be supported on the apparatus.

In order to prevent the platform from overturning completely, a stop 30 is provided on the stand 12 against which a formation 32 can abut. The formation 32 is provided at the end of an arm 34 which is pivotally secured to the platform 22. The position of the formation 32 on the arm 34 is adjustable.

A bar 36 is provided fast with and projecting from the platform 22. At the end of the bar 36 is provided a cross-bar 38 which is padded with soft material such as foam rubber or plastic 39. In use, the cross-bar 38 fits approximately behind a users ankles to prevent him from overturning and slipping ofi the platform. The length of the bar 36 is adjustable by means of a clip arrangement 40. The cross-bar is fitted on an adjustable bar 41.

A padded breast support 42 is provided fast with the platform 22 via a bar 44. The length of the bar 44 is adjustable to suit a user.

The use of the apparatus 10 is illustrated in the diagrammatic drawings shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, and is as follows:

When using the apparatus, the human 18 positions himself on the foot rests 16 as shown in FIG. 3. The platform 22 is positioned in the stand 12 by fitting the appropriate pins 24 in the fulcrum 20. The human 18 then leans over onto the platform 22 as shown in FIG. 4 so that his thighs and torso abut the platform 22, and he grips the stand 12 in his hands. By giving a slight kick, the human pivots the platform 22 about the fulcrum 20 to raise himself to the position shown in FIG. 5. When the center of gravity 46 of the human is directly above the fulcrum 20, perfect equilibrium is achieved. It will be seen that in this position the center of gravity 46 is disposed at a higher elevation than the fulcrum 20. A

condition of unstable equilibrium will therefore prevail. The advantage of this condition is that a person using the apparatus can easily control the movement of the platform 22 by gripping the stand 12 in his hands and exerting suitable arm action.

Postural treatment is effected by the human 18 remaining in an inverted condition as shown in FIG. 5 for a desired length of time. To terminate the treatment the human presses with his arms away from the stand 12, whereby the platform is returned to the position shown in FIG. 3. The human can drop down on his feet either on the foot rests 16 or between them.

The angle included in the corner 26 may be slightly less than 90 from about 75 to 85, to provide increased comfort. In stead of providing a series of spaced pins 24, a series of spaced apertures may be provided in which one set of removable pins 24 such as bolts and nuts may be securable.

in a development of the invention the stand 12 may be collapsible. This may be effected by making the cross-bar 48 which separates and secures the stand sections 12.1 and 12.2, removable. It may for instance be secured to the stand sections 12.1 and 12.2 by means of removable bolts and nuts.

The applicant has found that the apparatus in accordance with the invention is advantageous for effecting postural treatment of humans by effecting mild stretching of the spine and also by reversing the action of gravitational force on the internal organs and intestines of a human.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for effecting postural treatment of humans, the apparatus including a supporting structure and a platform for supporting a human in an inverted position at the hip joint, the platform having a pivotal mounting for mounting the platform to be pivotally displaceable relative to the supporting structure, the pivotal mounting being provided at about hip height on the supporting structure so that by pivotal displacement of the platform relative to the supporting structure a human can be repositioned from a standing position to a position in which it is supported in an inverted position on the platform.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the platform is of a substantially L-shaped cross-section and the pivotal mounting is eccentrically arranged with respect to the apex of the platform so that the platform is capable of being so pivoted relative to the supporting structure that the apex of the platform is positioned in a condition of instable equilibrium above the pivotal mounting. 

1. Apparatus for effecting postural treatment of humans, the apparatus including a supporting structure and a platform for supporting a human in an inverted position at the hip joint, the platform having a pivotal mounting for mounting the platform to be pivotally displaceable relative to the supporting structure, the pivotal mounting being provided at about hip height on the supporting structure so that by pivotal displacement of the platform relative to the supporting structure a human can be repositioned from a standing position to a position in which it is supported in an inverted position on the platform.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the platform is of a substantially L-shaped cross-section and the pivotal mounting is eccentrically arranged with respect to the apex of the platform so that the platform is capable of being so pivoted relative to the supporting structure that the apex of the platform is positioned in a condition of instable equilibrium above the pivotal mounting. 